PKL Auction 2023: Pawan Kumar Sehrawat fetches INR 2 crore; Guman Singh draws INR 1 crore
By Nitin Chauhan | First Published Aug 6, 2022, 1:10 PM ISTDay 1 of the Pro-Kabaddi League 2023 Auction was held on Saturday. Pawan Kumar Sehrawat was the top buy, fetching more than ₹2 crore, while Guman Singh drew ₹1 crore-plus.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat emerged as the most expensive buy on Day 1 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2023 (Season 9) Player Auctions held in Mumbai on Friday. On the other hand, Guman Singh was the most expensive Category B player, being bought for a whopping ₹1.21 crore by U Mumba. This auction also witnessed a jump in the ₹1 crore club from a couple of players in the last auction to four players. Pardeep Narwal and Siddharth Desai were previously part of the ₹1 crore club. At the same time, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Vikash Khandola, Fazel Atrachali and Guman Singh were part of the ₹1 crore club in this auction. A total of 30 players were sold to 12 franchises, with 4 Final Bid Match (FBM) cards being used on Day 1. The auction witnessed teams spend ₹18.11 crore on Day 1 across categories of players in the auction.
PKL star domination continued
The auction's highlight was Pawan Kumar Sehrawat smashing the record after Tamil Thalaivas bought him for a whopping sum of ₹2.26 crore. In the meantime, Vikash Khandola found a new home in Bengaluru Bulls after being owned for ₹1.70 crore. The raider became the second most expensive buy ever in PKL history. Pardeep Narwal returned to UP Yoddha after the franchise used the FBM Card at ₹90 lakh.
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Demand for Iranians
The Iranian kabaddi legend Fazel Atrachali broke the record for the most expensive defender and overseas player after being acquired for ₹1.38 crore by Puneri Paltan. Atrachali held both records when U Mumba picked him for ₹1 crore in the 2018 auction. The Paltan received his compatriot, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakgsh (F), for ₹87 lakh.
Following the Day 1 of the auction, PKL CEO Mr. Anupam Goswami voiced, “It was a fabulous day for all the teams on Day 1 of the player auctions. All the franchisees strategized well, and we saw some great bids today. We have a lot of action coming up tomorrow, and I hope all the teams will be able to build their desired squads.”
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| TOP 5 Category A players on Day 1 | |||
| Name | Country | Fetched Price (INR) | Team |
| Pawan Kumar Sehrawat | India | 2.26 crore | Tamil Thalaivas |
| Vikash Khandola | India | 1.7 crore | Bengaluru Bulls |
| Fazel Atrachali | Iran | 1.38 crore | Puneri Paltan |
| Pardeep Narwal | India | 90 lakh (FBM) | UP Yoddha |
| Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakgsh (F) | Iran | 87 lakh | Puneri Paltan |
| TOP 5 Category B players on Day 1 | |||
| Name | Position | Fetched Price (INR) | Team |
| Guman Singh | Raider | 1.21 crore | U Mumba |
| Sunil Kumar | Defender | 90 lakh | Jaipur Pink Panthers |
| Ashish | Raider | 45 lakh | U Mumba |
| Nitin Rawal | All-rounder | 37.5 lakh | Haryana Steelers |
| Surinder Singh | Defender | 35.5 lakh | U Mumba |
| Total amount spent by teams until end of Day 1 | ||
| Rank | Teams | Fetched Price (INR) |
| 1 | Bengal Warriors | 2.79 crore |
| 2 | Bengaluru Bulls | 3.29 crore |
| 3 | Dabang Delhi KC | 3.05 crore |
| 4 | Gujarat Giants | 1.31 crore |
| 5 | Haryana Steelers | 2.24 crore |
| 6 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 3.20 crore |
| 7 | Patna Pirates | 3.60 crore |
| 8 | Puneri Paltan | 3.96 crore |
| 9 | Tamil Thalaivas | 3.83 crore |
| 10 | Telugu Titans | 3.35 crore |
| 11 | U Mumba | 3.07 crore |
| 12 | UP Yoddha | 3.38 crore |
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